Life is short. And there is much to do during our mortal sojourn in order to better ourselves so we can feel prepared to see our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, again. I was just reading this morning in Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith manual, the one that we’re studying this year in Relief Society and Priesthood. Chapter 21’s teaching focus on the second coming of the Lord and millennial reign of the Lord. After first when I was reading through it, I started feeling anxiety. Terrible things are going to happen to the earth and its inhabitants before the Lord comes again. That frightens me! It even mentions how even the righteous won’t be exempt from this. We are subject to the flesh just as any man, meaning we can get all manner or diseases or have any manner of afflictions happen to us. It’s scary!
However, as I continued reading, I felt a little more peace, but it still is scary to think about all that is going to happen to usher in the second coming of the Lord. We need to use our time wisely NOW for we don’t know when we will be called to action. Life is short. It could be over tomorrow or in 3,000 tomorrows. We don’t know when. But one thing is sure, it will be over at some point. And we don’t want to look back feeling as if we could have done more or should have done more to better ourselves and those around us. We don’t want to feel as if we weren’t prepared.
As I continued reading through the Joseph Smith manual, I prayed for peace about the frightening aspects of the second coming. Shortly afterwards, chapter 21 discussed wearing the Armor of God. I gained a lot of peace reading that section, because I know that I can and SHOULD be doing all I can now to be righteous and prepare for the future. That includes knowing what the signs of the times are. If I am not prepared, I won’t know what is coming. If I am prepared, I will have all tools necessary to do my best as a Latter-Day Saint of God to deal with what is thrown at me. I want to be able to stand without shame in front of Christ, knowing that I did all I could do to better myself and His kingdom. I need to be living that way now, starting this minute. There is no time to waste.
1 comment:
It is certainly an interesting time to be a member of The Church. I take comfort in knowing that, despite all of the horrible things that might (or will) happen, the will of the Lord will be done. He rules over the world, and His causes will be fulfilled. I hoped I would never see the day when I would literally find myself hated for standing with God, but...here we are. Though I am scared out of my mind, I am comforted to know that the Lord's will will prevail.
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